6000 series is not repackaged 5000. it is not a generation leap but a step but it is still more powerful than previous series. watch out for the naming tough (5870 is faster than 6870 as 5870 was top end single gpu card while 6870 is not.)

This. The 6800s are pretty much the budget range for the 6000s. From benchmark tests that have been done the 6870 seems to be sandwiched between the 5850 and 5870 in terms of raw capability but runs alot cooler with a reduced power draw and is generally only £10 more on average than the 5850. Got one myself and it seemed to run fine until the CPU on the motherboard blew...